Biodiversity

Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 places the following biodiversity duty on all public bodies:

“Every public authority must, in exercising its functions, have regard, so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity”

The duty applies to all local authorities, including parish and town councils. Its purpose is to raise the profile of biodiversity and make it a natural and integral part of policy and decision making.

Cheveley Parish Biodiversity Group

In 2014 the Parish Council committed to producing a Parish Biodiversity Audit and Plan. A Cheveley Parish Biodiversity Group (volunteers) was established in 2015 and has worked on the audit. The Biodiversity Audit has been completed and was presented to the Parish Council in November 2016:

The Cheveley Parish Biodiversity Group is now working with the Parish Council and the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Biodiversity Partnership to agree on continuing work to improve knowledge of Parish Biodiversity and further improve records for the Parish. At present we are considering a number of potential activities:

If you are interested in local ecology, biodiversity and the environment and would be willing to participate in the working group or give your time, knowledge, skills and enthusiasm to become involved in what will essentially be a citizen science project – please contact me directly or through The Parish Council if you prefer.

Biodiversity blog

“The services that this website and associated blog will provide are unique. My ongoing wildlife observations and records will be available to the local community and, more widely, as a case study for those with an interest in their own local small spaces – perhaps inspiring others to make their own observations and records (for posterity). Using my local observations to illustrate situations that can arise in small-scale land management and conservation, a light might be shone on situations that arise elsewhere. In this way, a dialogue can be encouraged, experiences shared and knowledge increased”.

David Cudby, January 2018

Spotted Flycatchers in Cheveley Park

Cambridge Bird Club is running a project to monitor the migration of Spotted Flycatchers between our County and South Africa. It is working with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and has involved some ringing and micro-chipping of a number of birds including a pair that last year bred in a local back garden. Some of the birds have since been recovered and there appears to be 4 pairs currently established in a little area of Cheveley Park. It is clearly a perfect habitat for them to start the next generation of spotted fly catchers!

Any sightings can be reported to David Cudby in the hope that the group will be able to further establish the extent to which these little birds have made our parish their summer home! Many thanks.

Duchess Park – History and Natural History

This book is dedicated to all residents and visitors to Duchess Park, present and future, who have an interest in local history, or who are, or might be persuaded to become interested in understanding, loving and conserving the site and its flora and fauna.